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Learning Cornish in Arizona
1. Learning Cornish in Arizona
Drew Wills
Welsh League of Arizona
Irish Cultural Center, May 7th, 2011
2. Prag y Tyskav Kernewek?
• Lifetime interest in ancient languages
• Always wanted to learn a Celtic language in
particular
• Appreciate the (considerable) challenge
• Family connection
4. Kernow
• SW tip of Great Britain
• One of the 6 Celtic Nations
• Beautiful beaches
• “Mildest, sunniest climate in the UK”
5. Tavas Kernewek
• Closely related to both Welsh & Breton
“P-Celtic”
• Once the dominant form of communication in
the region
• Gradually gave way to English between 1300
& 1750
• Once considered
extinct
6. Oft-Quoted, Oft-disputed Claims
• Chesten Marchant: last monoglot speaker(?),
d. 1676 Gwithian
• Dorothy Pentreath: last native speaker, d.
1777 Mousehole
• William Bodinar: learned as a boy, d. 1794
• John Davey: last person taught by a native
speaker, d. 1891 Zennor
7. William Bodinar's letter (1776)
[Ow] bloedh vy [yw] tri ugens ha pymp.
Yth esov vy den boghosek an puskes.
My a wrug dyski Kernewek [y'n] termyn [ha] my a veu maw.
My a veu dhe'n mor gans [ow] sira vy ha pymp den moy y'n kok.
My a wrug skantlowr klywes unn ger Sowsnek y'n kok rag seythun
warbarth.
Ny wruga vy bythkweyth gweles lyver Kernewek.
My a wrug dyski Kernewek ow mos dhe'n mor gans tus koth.
Nyns eus moy es peswar po pymp y'n trev ni a yll klappya Kernewek
lemmyn,
pobel goth peswar ugens bloedh.
Kernewek yw oll ankevys gans pobel yowynk.
8. Cornish Revival
• 1904: Henry Jenner, Handbook of the
Cornish Language
• “There has never been a time when there has
been no person in Cornwall without a
knowledge of the Cornish language.”
• “Today more people speak Cornish
that at any time in the last 250
years.”
9. Language Features
• Initial consonant mutation
• Inflected prepositions
• Long & short forms of bos (to be)
• 3rd-person singular verb form for all subjects
in simple, affirmative sentences
• No word for “yes” or “no”
10. Lytherennansow
• Unified Cornish [UC]: early 1900s, based on
Middle Cornish (14th & 15th cent.)
• Modern Cornish [MC]: 1980s, based on
latest written examples (17th & 18th cent.)
• Kernewek Kemmyn [KK]: 1986, Middle
Cornish base, but with phonetic spelling;
adopted by Kesva an Tavas Kernewek as
their preferred system
11. Lytherennansow
• Unified Cornish Revised [UCR]: 1995, a re-boot
of UC with more regular spellings
-Independent Cornish Lang. Commission (2007)-
• Kernowek Standard [KS]: based on traditional
orthographic forms, phonetic spelling
• Standard Written Form [SWF]: Ratified May,
2008, by all represented parties as a standard
for public life
12. Lavarow
Dydh da Hello
Myttin da Good morning
Dha weles See you (1 person)
Agas gweles See you (more than 1 person)
Mar pleg Please
Meur ras Thank you
Penn bloodh lowen! Happy birth day!
Chons da! Good luck!
